"You must be Thomas," the leading figure said.
He was a centaur, half human and half horse, but unlike any Thomas had seen before. His lower body was lean and white, built more for speed than strength, while his upper body was that of a man with a single horn rising from his forehead. It gave him the look of a unicorn hybrid.
Thomas didn't answer immediately. His attention shifted to the figure beside him, a female Dryad. Her skin had the texture of bark, streaked with moss, and her hair was a mix of vines, leaves, and small blossoms. Her eyes glowed a soft yellow green, like light filtering through a forest.
"Thomas, right?" the Dryad said. "Marcus told us about you. He said you're capable and might be able to help."
Thomas blinked, breaking from his daze, then gave a small grin. "Marcus, huh? So he's the one who told you about us. That checks out."
Before he could ask, Bryan had already sent a quick message in their group chat to confirm. Less than five minutes later, the reply came through. Marcus's unit, the Hounds, was always quick to respond.
With that confirmation, the tension eased. The negotiation moved faster now. Whether or not they accepted the offer was entirely up to Thomas and his crew.
The Dryad stepped forward. "What we need is assistance. The Voynich Manuscript ended up somewhere in this ruined city. It was being transported for research before the meteors hit. Now it's stranded here, and if we don't act soon, it'll be lost forever. We intend to recover and preserve it."
Nevin raised an eyebrow. "You're risking your lives for an old book?"
"Knowledge is just as valuable as survival," the Archivist said, his tone calm but firm. "This manuscript is part of our history. And history shouldn't be left to rot in the fog."
Bryan tapped his chin. "Let me guess. The place where it's stuck is crawling with Fades?"
"Worse," the Archivist replied. "Three Callers have claimed this territory. They're on the verge of fighting each other for control."
Thomas cracked his knuckles. "Three? That's a lot to deal with."
"We aren't asking you to fight them," the Dryad clarified, her tone sharp but steady. "We only need the manuscript. If there's a way to retrieve it without confrontation, that's the goal. But if not, we'll need enough time to get in, secure it, and get out before things spiral."
Thomas frowned. "So basically, we're the distraction."
The Archivist sighed. "We're asking for assistance, not throwing you to the wolves. You're the strongest fighters here. If those Callers evolve into a Boss, none of us will survive."
Caller evolution. The term wasn't new to Thomas and his crew, but it was one of those things better heard than seen. Normally, a Caller grew stronger by controlling more Fades, expanding its reach over time. But when one Caller defeated another, it absorbed the other's control, doubling or even tripling its numbers. After one or two of those fights, a Caller could transform into something far worse… a Boss Fade.
A Boss was faster, smarter, and brutal beyond comparison. Its power, territory, and army of Fades grew in seconds.
Thomas had seen one before. It happened near the Red Bridge by their old base. Two Bosses had fought there, and their clash shattered concrete like it was paper.
He exchanged glances with his team. The plan was insane. But then again, so was their entire life in the fog.
"Fine," Thomas said, exhaling. "You focus on the book, we'll keep the heat off you as best we can. But we're not fighting all three Callers head-on. If things go bad, you're on your own."
The Archivist nodded once. "We don't need rescuing. Just time."
Days of discussion and planning followed. The Archivists had spent that time studying the three Callers, tracking their movements and predicting when their confrontation would happen. From what they observed, there was an unspoken understanding between them, a fight was coming, and only one would remain to claim the territory.
The Cyclops Caller was a massive creature with a single glowing eye and thick armored skin. It stayed in the center of the ruins, commanding a horde of grunt-type Fades that matched its brute strength.
The Swarm Caller looked like a skeletal wendigo. It moved fast, its limbs twitching as it controlled waves of zombie-like Fades that ran beside it.
The Wraith Caller was a dark, ghost-like figure that flickered in and out of sight. It stayed near the outskirts, surrounded by ghost-type Fades that slipped through walls and struck from cover.
The tension between them had reached its peak. A battle for dominance and possibly a Boss evolution was inevitable.
Meanwhile, Thomas's crew spent the following days preparing. They drilled formation changes and tested new coordination. Nevin practiced controlling his fog energy for ranged attacks, while Iris finally managed to stabilize her aura. Her ability now focused on a single target, locking that Fade into a one-on-one fight until one of them fell. The crew called it her Duel of Death, and they had noticed one thing, when Iris entered that state, her strength surged far beyond normal.
The day of the plan arrived. Everyone knew their role. They were hidden inside a half-collapsed building, already in their Glint forms, waiting for the right moment.
Bryan's sharp eyes caught movement through the fog. "The Wendigo's moving in on the Wraith."
He didn't look away from the chaos starting to unfold. "Stick to the plan. We wait for them to clash. While they're busy tearing each other apart, we take down the Cyclops Caller. That way, we only deal with one, and whoever wins between them will be weaker."
Just as expected, the Swarm Caller made the first move. It charged in, sending a wave of zombie-like Fades running toward the Wraith Caller. The Wraith's ghostly form flickered, dodging through the first attackers before slashing back with glowing claws.
Thomas grinned. "That's our cue. The big one's still waiting. Let's not give him the chance."
The Cyclops Caller turned its massive head toward them. Its single glowing eye burned through the fog as it stepped forward, each heavy footfall cracking the ground. Around fifty smaller Cyclops grunt-type Fades surrounded it, all about human-sized but with the same glaring eye. When the Caller roared, they charged.
Thomas dashed forward, dodging the first swipe. He clenched his fists and drove a heavy punch into a Fade's face, sending it crashing through a wall. "Alright, big guy. Let's dance."
Iris leaped high, diving straight toward the Cyclops Caller's eye. The creature swung at her, but she twisted mid-air and barely dodged. "It's slow, but it hits like a truck!"
Bryan, in his Winged Tiger form, flew beside her. "Then we keep it swinging at air!"
Nevin stayed back, hurling fog energy orbs at the smaller Fades. One went down instantly, while another staggered after taking a near miss to the head. "These grunts are fast! Watch your sides!"
Thomas charged forward, grabbing whatever he could find from the ground. A broken pipe, a metal beam, even a chunk of concrete, each strike landed against the Caller's leg with a heavy clang. The massive creature barely flinched. Its thick skin absorbed the impact like armor, but Thomas didn't stop.
The smaller Fades closed in. He pivoted, grabbed a fallen utility pole, and swung it in a wide arc, knocking several of them aside. The clang echoed through the ruins as they fell back, screeching.
The Cyclops roared, its single eye glowing brighter. A pulse of energy exploded outward, and every grunt around it lunged with renewed fury. One grabbed Thomas's arm, its grip like iron. He twisted his body, breaking free, and slammed the creature into another with a bone-crunching impact.
Above him, Iris tumbled mid-air and sliced through two grunts with her blade. Her aura pulsed, locking another Fade's attention fully onto her. "Thomas! Don't just stand there getting swarmed!"
"I'm working on it!" Thomas shouted, punching through another Fade's chest before turning back toward the Caller.
They were holding ground. From fifty enemies, only around thirty remained, but the Caller was still standing tall, unshaken.
Nevin fired another burst of energy, hitting a grunt square in the chest before a swipe knocked him back. He stumbled, clutching his side. "We need to drop the big one! The grunts won't stop until it's gone!"
Thomas steadied his breathing and glared up at the towering Cyclops. "Fine. Let's go big."
He charged forward, jumping onto a nearby wrecked car. With a grunt, he ripped off the door and used it as a shield. Then, pushing off the hood, he leapt straight at the Caller's head and slammed the door down with everything he had. The impact cracked its armored skull, and the beast let out a roar that shook the ruins.
But it didn't fall.
The Caller swung its massive arm, hitting Thomas square in the chest. The blow sent him flying, skidding across the rubble before he crashed into a wall.
Iris's eyes widened. "Thomas!"
The Cyclops Caller raised its head, that single glowing eye narrowing on the motionless figure. Then it began to move, one step, then another, its heavy footsteps echoing across the battlefield as it turned toward him.